(Newser)
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A 2-year-old pup once destined to be euthanized was crowned the winner of Sunday's "Beautiful Bulldog Contest" at Drake University. The 39th annual tongue-in-cheek pageant for English bulldogs, Drake's mascot, is the unofficial start to this week's Drake Relays track meet. This year's champion, "Bow-Z," hails from nearby Pella, Iowa. She was set to be put down as a puppy because of various physical ailments but was re-routed to a no-kill shelter instead, reports the AP. Bow-Z beat a field of 40 slobbering bulldogs—most of which were decked out in outlandish costumes—with names like Rocky, Tucker and Beau. The Drake Relays begin in earnest on Thursday and wrap up on Saturday.

My neighbor's bulldog would snort/slobber and teeter over to my back door everyday for a dog biscuit. I loved that girl. But I couldn't help noticing she struggled to walk or breathe. Bulldogs are not a healthy breed.

David Gervais

Apr 22, 2018 9:10 PM CDT

The neighbors breed bulldogs and sell them for $2000 a piece. So that was a good rescue. They are very sweet dogs that don't require much energy. The puppies are adorable. I'm glad she got her life and won the beauty pageant to boot. Good girl!